Taiwan is an island nation that's dwarfed by its larger neighbors like China, Japan and the Phillipines, but at the SXSW 2019, THEY are the behemoths, with an extremely talented showcase.The country has a rich music history, but having only sent ten music acts to Austin, the quality of their contingent is something to be admired. The Taiwanese showcase will take place March 13th at Elysium at 705 Red River St.

Chiu Pi

Avant-garde music that has an ethereal and introspective style, Chiu Pi is changing the general perception of electronic music.

My Skin Against Your Skin

Their music ranges from garage and psychedelic rock to electronic pop and they use surreal plots to spin narratives.

The Fur.

An indie dream-pop band with sensual vocals and shimmering synths.

Elephant Gym

Elephant Gym is an instrumental rock band that is known for clear and memorable bass lines, emotional guitar riffs and melodic drumming.

I Mean Us

I Mean Us is a Dream Pop/ Shoegaze /Indier that romantically combines the 1990s analog sound with psychedelic style.

For our upcoming Austin Pedal & Synth Expo Showcase, we are excited to get to feature the music of a couple of NYC locals. The electronic music Beshken makes is meditative and complex, weaving between digital and acoustic instruments with dreamlike results. His latest track, “Cursed”, picks its way between honey smooth synths and dissonant vocal effects, reflecting on the mental revolutions between sleep and insomnia. On the other end, while their lyrics too reflect on sleepless thoughts, the music of CLAVVS is rather lucid. The production on their most recent single “Devils I Know” places the vocals at the forefront of a hypnotic and unexpectedly baroque electronic backdrop. The Expo will be held on March 16th at the Chugging Monkey - listen to CLAVVS, Beshken and the other artists who will appear below. - Sunny Betz

We are happy to announce our return to Austin with not one but TWO live show during the famous music festival in the Texan city. The shows are linked to our Austin Synth and Pedal Expo, hosted on the third floor of very central venue Chuggin' Monkey.

Trudeau is under investigation, maple syrup is being diluted with corn syrup but Canada’s greatest export are still as potent and powerful as ever. Indie rockers, Metric, came to ACL Live on Saturday night and leveled the crowd with an evocative and ear-pinning set. The opening set from tenured Mexican space rockers, Zoe, gave the show an exciting outset, and a sense of North American bonhomie, with all three nations present. A 16-song set from the headliner would eventually satiate even the most rabid Metric fans.

Emily Haines…. That name is enshrined in the psyche of men and women alike as a goddess who deserves to be fanned and worshipped until the pillars of civilization fall. Haines has a cavalier but seductive air about her that has not lessened since the band began in 1998. Yet the transcendental baptism truly immerses listeners when Haines begins to sing, her vocals pristine and effortless. Sauntering around the stage with a panther-like gait, Haines owns every inch of her path, assiduously stealing the focus of every single member of the audience.

The show erupted with the sugary “Love You Back” and quickly segued into a sneeringly addictive “Synthetica”. Guitarist, James Shaw, played an electrifying counterbalance to Haines, unleashing his frenetic energy on songs like “Risk” and “Gold Guns Girls”. An early set crescendo was reached when a newer hit, “Dressed to Suppress” was played with all the cocksure moxie the band could muster, and followed with the vulnerable and uplifting, “Breathing Underwater”.

A nostalgic reminiscing took place mid-set, where Haines ruminated on earlier Austin shows that featured BBQ, Barton Springs and playing Stubbs. Yet the driving momentum was hardly diminished and the band then plowed into the surprise of the night, “Cascades”, which had disco charm and a futuristic cocktail party vibe. Little did the audience know that a ‘Sophie’s Choice’ was soon about to be foisted on them by Haines.

“This is the existential part of the set where I decide whether to embrace a time of innocence for the band, or a time of recklessness – Should we play ‘Gimme Sympathy’ or ‘Dead Disco’?”

Despite my own decibel and octave levels reaching Everest-esque heights for “Dead Disco”, it was “Gimme Sympathy” that would be played, with little to no complaining on m end. The building inertia was only further propelled by “Gold Guns Girls”, which layered Haines’ sirenic vocals over frenzied drums and guitars.

An encore of “Dark Saturday”, “Now or Never Now” and the audio equivalent of Thor’s hammer, “Help I’m Alive”, would conclude a colossal show. A curious energy shot through the audience; a motley mix of liberation, adoration and even aggression (a fight broke out in front of me) swirled into the ether. Whatever your motives were for seeing Metric, old fans and new, the sheer force of their sound and eclectic emotional range was delivered with devastating effectiveness, and we the audience, were gifted the with a 90 minute escape from ourselves.

A drop of audio prozac on the pacified mind, BluMoon stirs up a soothing elixir of neo-soul, alternative R&B and experimental jazz. A quartet that doesn't shy away from retro and outlier soundscapes, these Texas State students are eons ahead of the curve as far as their songwriting and their suave aesthetic. Front woman, Kendra Sells, layers on her warm vocals that exude a mellowed aura devoid of strife or struggle. The flotsam and jetsam of trip-hop and vaporwave elements float through the fluid composition of BluMoon's mellifluous vibes. Having just released their second album, Slow Burn, the band continues to grow musically and consistently electrify with their live shows. Catch the band at Hotel Vegas on March 24th!

The Deli Magazine was born in NYC's Attorney Street in 2004, in the shape of a print issue with a then unknown band on its cover, called Grizzly Bear. Ths NYC blog came in 2005, then the SF one in 2006, and then 9 more in the following years. The Deli is focused on the coverage of emerging bands and solo artists with a 100% local focus - no exceptions!